How To Reduce Ink Flow?

[CS388]

Hello all

 

Whenever I've adjusted flow on my pens, it's usually been to increase ink flow (dry writers, skipping pens etc)

 

Now, my MB 144 is flowing too wet - and I've realised that I've no idea how to reduce the flow?

 

The piston seal seems good and tight and the nib and feed are excellently matched to each other. All in all, the pen seems in good shape. It's a pen I've had and used for years.

Recently I had to replace the barrel, so it was fully dismantled and re-assembled - although I left the nib/feed/section untouched as it is a simple screw out/screw in unit. Now it's started to exhibit this new behaviour, the ink flows out so fast and wet that it's almost impossible to use.

 

Any ideas or suggestions welcomed.

 

Thanks.

 

(I have tried different inks, but the heavy flow is across the board, regardless of the ink)

[WateryFlow]

As a last resort, try this which will close the tines slightly to make it drier

Edited January 28, 2015 by WateryFlow

[Dr.Grace]

Sounds like there could be an air leak somewhere. I wouldn't try to adjust the nib until that's ruled out. What happens when you blow into the nib end of the pen? Does any air escape? (Obviously you wouldn't do this with ink in the pen!)

[CS388]

Thank you WateryFlow and Dr.Grace.

 

WateryFlow: Nice video. Following the instructions, I took the pen apart and checked the tines. They were pretty close together.

If anything, they were further apart by the breather hole and touching at the tip. I tried some minor adjustment, but I think that a more accurate job could be done by a specialist, rather than myself. On re-assembling the pen, it exhibited the same behaviour.

 

I thought this may be the case because; A) I actually didn't alter the nib very much. The nib has been in its present condition for many years and used to perform well.

 

Dr.Grace: I think you may have something here. Everything seemed super tight, when I re-assembled it, but I haven't checked it via blowing through, yet, because I've just refilled it! This will be my next avenue of exploration.

 

HOWEVER. After the attempted nib adustment and test, I took it apart again and set to work on the feed. I filled the main central channel (usually out of sight, against the underside of the nib) with wax. When the wax had hardened, I pulled most of it back out, but not all of it. I left a smear on the floor of the channel, effectively reducing the size of the channel.

 

My hope was that it would reduce the supply to the nib - and (unbelievably), it seems to have worked.

I filled the pen up again and it's writing very well. Still wet, but not so much as to make it unusable, as it had become.

 

I may have committed some cardinal sin, here - so I'm not recommending it to others. And it may all go badly wrong in the near future, but, for the meantime, I have my 144 back in the rotation.

 

Thanks again for your replies. Much appreciated.

 

Best wishes, CS

[Detman101]

Someone on another forum mentioned using shellac to do just what you did CS388.

Is there a particular shellac to use for this?
I'm thinking this is my last hope at saving my two flex pens...

After heat setting the feed on my pens, the ebonite feed has become a gusher and I cannot fix it.
I have the nib mated right up to the feed with no gap anywhere and it still gushes.
I have crossed over the tines so that they are right close to each other when set on the feed...it still gushes.
Now I can write with an xxf line without gushes if I do not apply pressure, but as soon as I flex the nib...it dumps ink onto the page.

If putting shellac on the feed slit will help with this...I'm willing to give it a shot!
I have spray shellac that I use to stiffen my hat, I am guessing this is the same shellac referenced?

anyone?